Be Careful What You Witch For (Unexpected Witchcraft Book 1) Read online

  Be Careful

  What You

  Witch For

  Ava Day

  Copyright © 2016 by Ava Day

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 1

  “The next property up for bid is the historic Beacon Theater,” the auctioneer's voice carries over the buzzing of the crowd.

  I whip my head around to face the quaint courthouse and auctioneer that until this point I had been tuning out. A small part of me starts to panic. Joy, my best friend and partner in crime hasn't shown up yet. She’s the one that has the cash for the required down payment. If she doesn’t get here soon, we'll lose out on our dream of owning our own business. And I'll be bidding on a property I can't actually buy. Hopefully, that’s not a crime.

  Darn it Joy, where are you? A giddiness overtakes my creeping fears as I raise my hand to place the first bid.

  “We have $15,000, does anyone have $20,000?”

  Scanning the crowd, I spot a person swathed in all black with a hood pulled up around their face. They raise their hand and the stout auctioneer looks back over at me when he raises the bid to $25,000. I nod back, eliciting a smile from the man. He pivots again when another bidder enters the fray. The three way bidding continues and the price escalates quickly. I glance around nervously, looking for Joy as I nod my head towards the auctioneer.

  A small red sedan drives down the block and passes the courthouse, slowing down. I see Joy in the driver’s seat and she waves exuberantly at me. Breathing a sigh of relief, I snap back to reality just in time to raise my hand once again and accept the new bid of $100,000.

  The other bidder seems to have lost interest and now my only competition is the hooded individual. I swear, I can feel their anger radiating towards me. They raise the price once again and I try to move my hand or even nod my head slightly but I'm paralyzed. Could I be so anxious that I've lost all motor control?

  My eyes dart in their sockets, catching a glimpse of the dark figure who is about to win the Beacon, along with my hopes and dreams, right out from under me. They appear to have their hand wrapped around a pendant hanging from their neck. What the heck? Sweat beads on my forehead as I will myself to act. I can't let this opportunity slip away. Joy and I have been plotting and planning this for months.

  Well, that's sort of a lie.

  We have been talking about starting a business together for years. The actual where and how were kind of last minute. She just broke up with her boyfriend of four years and wanted to start over away from him. I finally completed my master’s degree in Fine Arts and realized that my prospects for a traditional career were slim to non-existent. Taking the plunge and moving to Pennsylvania seemed like a really great idea when we thought of it.

  Now, standing here about to lose the bid due to my nervousness, the plan doesn't seem that solid. We haven't even seen the property in person since we were 10 years old. I arrived in town late last night and only had time to make sure the Beacon Theater was still going to be auctioned.

  Maybe this will be a good thing. What if this is the universe telling me that I'm not ready for this big of a commitment yet? Luckily, I don't have to worry about these existential questions just yet. Joy appears from the crowd to stand beside me and snaps her fingers to signal that she'll take the bid for $110,000. The auctioneer grins in our direction.

  The final price is set and we are now the proud owners of the Beacon Theater! My entire body turns to jelly. I give Joy a hug or more accurately I fall into her arms as she squeezes me tightly.

  “Oh my gosh, Penny. We did it!” she squeals into my ear.

  “It's good to see you too, Joy. What's it been? A whole three days?” I'm actually more relieved to see her than I let on. “Did you see that creep over by the stairs?” I ask while craning my neck to see if their still staring in our direction.

  “I don't see anyone who would fit that description. I do see someone who appears to be as excited as you should be.” Joy retorts as she points up the courthouse steps and I let my gaze follow.

  “So, you two ladies are the lucky winners! Congratulations,” the burly auctioneer shouts down to us as we begin to ascend towards him.

  “Yes, sir,” I say as I extend my hand to the older gentleman. “Hi. My name’s Penelope but everyone just calls me Penny. This is my friend, Joy.”

  “Nice to make your acquaintance.” The silly grin on Joy's face is infectious.

  “My name is Herb. It's great to meet some young people with such great manners, especially out-of-towners. Do you two know anything about the Beacon?”

  “No,” we utter in unison. Joy stifles a laugh while I try not to die of embarrassment.

  “We did see a movie there once as kids but this is actually our first day in town and we really didn't get to see much before coming down here to the auction,” I explain.

  “Really? I hope the property is what you're looking for. It's been abandoned for years. A real estate group bought it during the housing boom, but I never saw or heard of anyone from the company coming to do anything with it. It's been foreclosed ever since. And…” Now Herb is the one laughing nervously.

  “What?” I ask.

  “I’m sure it’s just a local rumor, but some of the other folks in town claim it's haunted.”

  “How bad of shape is it in?” I guess our plan for buying a building that wouldn’t need much TLC was a little too optimistic.

  “I'll just let you be the judge of that. It used to be playhouse but was later converted into a movie theater. It's got a lot of character or at least that's what the pictures show. Anyways, you'll need to go see Irene inside to settle your down payment. Head straight down the hall and she's in the fourth office on the right.”

  “Thanks, it was nice meeting you Herb,” Joy tries to sound excited but I can tell our encounter with Herb has left her confidence in our decision as shaky as my own.

  Why am I letting myself get psyched out? We have a plan, maybe a hasty one but a good one. Joy's parents were able to get us a business loan and we have enough cash for the down payment. The land alone is worth as much as we paid for it, according to Joy’s overprotective father. All we need is the opportunity to succeed and we will.

  We head inside the courthouse and down the hall to the payments office. I peek my head in the door and see a woman my own age sitting behind a beat up old desk typing away on a computer that should have been replaced years ago. “Irene?” I ask tentatively.

  “Yes, how may I help you?”


  “We're here to pay our down payment for the property we just bought.” Joy replies as she steps into the office and I follow her lead.

  “Oh, which one did you buy? We had about a half dozen.”

  “The Beacon Theater.” I try to ignore the sour look on Irene's face. The place can't be that bad.

  “Wow, someone finally bought that old thing. Are you planning on tearing it down?” she inquires.

  “No, we plan on renovating it into a coffeehouse and bake shop.” I try to sound upbeat, but with a response like that it's hard. “I'm also an artist and I think an old theater would make a great place to showcase some local art.” I glance over at Joy and she smiles at me.

  “So we owe 10 percent down, right?” Joy asks, reaching into her purse. I grab a stack of cash and start counting as Joy does the same and we pile the money onto Irene's desk without waiting for her response.

  Everyone else seems to think the Beacon is a dud, but I'm still excited and I know Joy is definitely ecstatic because she always is. We wait while Irene types us up a receipt on her ancient computer. While it is printing, she walks over to a file cabinet and flips through some folders before turning around with a triumphant look.

  “I found them. I was worried these keys would be lost,” Irene smiles warmly. My heart skips a beat as I see the tarnished keys dangling from her hand. Joy can't wait and darts across the room to snatch the keys from Irene's fist.

  “Woohoo! We really did it, Penny!” Joy exclaims triumphantly while doing a little victory dance. I calm Joy down by giving in to her need for a high five, much to my chagrin in front of Irene. After exchanging goodbyes, Irene promises to stop by the theater to see how the renovation is coming.

  We begin walking to the parking lot before we remember that downtown Spring Valley only has eight whole blocks. Joy and I can see the old marque jutting up above the buildings behind us, so we decide to walk instead. Beautiful mature oaks line the streets and there's even a little park next to the courthouse with a playground where I spy a mother reading on a bench while her daughter enjoys herself on the swings. We pass an old savings and loan building and I peek in the windows to see that it's been converted into an upscale restaurant.

  Oh, this town is perfect for us, poised on the brink between old charm and new life. Nestled in the Poconos, Spring Valley sees its population swell during tourist season. Joy and I used to spend summers near here with our parents growing up. We always talked about moving back here and settling down.

  It wasn't until a few months ago that we had the means to do so. I will admit that my taste for adventure has grown quite large after being cooped up in Chicago for so many years. As Joy and I turn the corner, we both stop dead in our tracks and whip out our phones to take some pictures of the Beacon.

  Chapter 2

  It's the most beautiful building I've ever seen. Even if the marquee is falling apart and the vintage box office has a boarded up window with windblown trash pushed up against the doors. I don't bother to take in any more sights as I rush down the block.

  I am so enthralled by the prospect of getting inside the theater that I nearly run into two men carrying sheets of plywood into a storefront that appears to be in the process of being remodeled.

  “Watch where you're walking,” one of them shouts.

  “Cut her some slack, Nate,” the guy holding the other end of the plywood says.

  “Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was just in a hurry to get across the street to the theater,” I reply apologetically. The men don't stop for more than a second, but the nice one looks over his shoulder as he enters the building. Our eyes meet and my mouth drops open. Is that… No, it couldn’t be.

  “Hey, Penny. Earth to Penny.” Joy steps in front of me and smiles.

  “What are you smiling at?” I say.

  “You. Come on, there will be all the time in the world to ogle cute guys. Right now we're business owners!” Joy replies as she grabs my hand and pulls me across the street with her.

  I yank the keys from my purse as I admire a fading and torn poster for The Breakfast Club haphazardly plastered in the box office window. Then it hits me how long this place has gone unused. It could be a completely worthless building and the biggest mistake of our lives. It could be a hidden treasure and the best decision we’ve ever made. Time will tell.

  Handing Joy the keys, we both place a hand on the door and pull. My excitement is slightly lessened by the amount of dust that assaults us. After recovering from a fit of sneezing, I wipe my eyes and stare into the dark and musty lobby.

  The only illumination is a ray of late afternoon sun shooting through the open door. I scan the room and see the concession stand against the far wall. Scattered throughout the lobby are large items covered in tarps. Joy pulls up the flashlight app on her phone and adventures into the unknown. I follow behind her, retrieving my own phone for the additional light. We search along the wall, looking for the light switch. A long row of switches are tucked beside the door to the box office.

  Just for fun I open the door to peek inside and nearly jump out of my skin screaming like a buffoon. A large cardboard cutout of Marty McFly from Back to the Future stands in front of me. How very appropriate since apparently no one has been in this place for decades.

  “Are you OK? What is it?” Joy peeks over my shoulder and chuckles. I roll my eyes and close the door, leaving Marty to his own devices.

  Joy begins flipping the switches on and we find that only a few of the light fixtures have working bulbs but enough to let us see without our makeshift flashlights. How the heck is the power hooked up already?

  Tucking my phone away, I now have both hands free to explore. I walk over to one of the dust covered monstrosities and pull away the tarp, causing a cloud of dust to billow around me. This time I'm prepared and hold my breath and close my eyes. When I open them, I'm staring at my reflection in a big antique mirror. The details along the frame are gorgeous and intricately carved. Running my hand along it in amazement, I hear Joy calling my name from behind the concession stand.

  “Hey, Penny, it’s your lucky day. Want some Raisinets?” she laughs, shaking a stale box at me.

  “You first, Joy,” I reply as I toss the cover back over the mirror. I'll definitely be keeping that around after remodel. Why is this even in the lobby of a movie theater in the first place?

  A small hallway runs to the left of the concession stand and I find a set of bathrooms that I have no intention of exploring until I have some more protection from the smell than just my shirt. Standing in the hallway, I'm perplexed. There's no auditorium or more accurately there is no door to the auditorium. Joy comes to stand next to me while we ponder where the entrance has gone.

  Taking my fist, I begin gently tapping along the wall. It all sounds the same to me as I move down the entire length. I look over at Joy and she's standing by a section of wall and pointing above her head. Duh! A pair of hooks dangle from the ceiling where the sign to the auditorium used to hang. We begin pounding on the wall, but it appears to be very solidly built or we could just be wrong about the location of the opening.

  It soon becomes clear to me that we're going to need some help. And I can’t stop wondering if that guy I just saw is really who I think he is.

  As I push the lobby door open to the outside world, I revel in the fresh air. Across the street, the pickup truck that the two men were using is still parked along the curb. Joy tags along as I ask to borrow a sledge hammer.

  “You want to borrow what?” asks Nate. I'm sure that he heard me the first time but I repeat the question again.

  “We need a sledge hammer to knock through a walled up door. So, can I borrow one?”

  “Penny?” The other guy walks up behind Nate and beams at me.

  “I thought that was you,” I murmur, my mouth going dry as my cheeks flush red. “Long time no see.”

  “I’ll say. Man, how long has it been?”

  “Twelve years.”

  “Geez,”
he laughs. “That makes me feel so old.”

  “Right?”

  “Wanna fill me in?” Joy whispers into my ear.

  Not really. “This is Brent,” I introduce the mystery man to my best friend.

  “Brent?” she scoffs and I glare at her. “Oh, that Brent.” She starts to giggle uncontrollably.

  Yeah, that Brent. The memories of our doomed summer love come flooding back to me. My first good kiss. Our toes dangling in the lake as we held hands and talked for hours. Sneaking out of my parent’s rental cabin late at night. The heartbreak of driving away from his hometown that August and all the promises to keep in touch that we never had a chance of keeping. It was practically a sappy subplot of a feel good 80’s movie that surely played at the Beacon.

  “Did I actually hear that you needed to borrow a sledge hammer?” Brent asks, pulling me back to the present.

  “Yeah.” I try not to swoon over him too hard, but he's even more handsome than I remember and I can't help but stare a little until Joy nudges my shoulder. “We just bought the Beacon across the street.”